Baby seals!

Today is brought to you by Baby Seals! The Humane Society is holding a petition to save Baby Seals. The US House of Representatives passed a resolution to ban baby seal hunting in Canada, but that doesn't necessarily mean it's going to stop. Signing a petition to help that - and to pledge not to buy seafood products from Canada - will definitely be a start. There's a commercial seal hunt going on for baby seals, and Canada has not as of yet, that I know of, eradicated this hunt.

Harp (pictured) and hooded seals are the targets of this killing - and most of them are babies, less than three months old. I'm POSITIVE that someone besides me is at the very least pissed off and a bit sad about this, if not enraged and sniffly. Come on, people, have a heart - look at that cute little snow-touched face! Imagine the tiny little baby seal wriggling after its mom, squeaking and making seal noises quite happily. You can help that little puffball of white fur grow up and have its own baby seals that will follow in a line down to the water, learning how to dive after fish and chase after birds.

For the love of God, people, the "approved" ways of killing these seals involve guns, wooden clubs, and ICE PICKS. Ice picks! Who the hell kills anything with an ice pick, unless you're stranded on top of an icy, dark mountain, holding on to your guiderope for dear life as the elements converge around you? I think we all might want to get away from the "hey, we're still living in trees and throwing rocks at monkeys!" mentality. Don't kill baby seals just for the sake of having something to hunt. Go to your local grocery store and buy a freaking sandwich. And go sign up to save baby seals, while you're at it.

American Humane Association

The American Humane Association is striving to do something that really means a lot to me - protect and help save wildlife. Nature is something incredibly important to me, as you will undoubtedly find out if you stick around on this blog for long - hopefully it is something that will be important to you, as well. I'm likely what could be called a tree-hugging, animal-loving hippie - which is to say that I adore animals, and will do anything in my power to help keep those that belong in the wild free and healthy.

The AMA are some of the people that rush in to save animals when there are natural disasters, such as the recent flooding in Oklahoma. When everyone is evacuating and in a state of panic, sometimes our best companions are left behind - our pets. Our beloved animals who sit with us when we're sad or lonely, who roll around on the floor to make us laugh. An AMA team was dispatched to Oklahoma to rescue these animals - and hopefully to reunite them with their family.

This association is really full of kind, caring people - but very few associations, care centers, or rehabilitation facilities get the funding they need - and some aren't even federally funded at all. In order for them to continue saving our puppies and kitties, as well as lynxes and falcons, we need to show them our support. Go to the American Humane Association and donate now, if you're feeling in a charitable mood. Even $5 will help someone get home.

Wildlife rehabilitation.

For the animal lovers out there, I just visited a wonderful place - Hawk Creek, a wildlife rehabilitation facility in New York. There are no words that could adequately describe just how wonderful the volunteers at this facility are - everyone there clearly loves animals so much, and the money they make goes toward taking care of the animals, whether it be through donations, or sales of items (t-shirts, et cetera). They aren't federally funded, and yet they spend so much time, effort and money taking care of so many different animals.

I'm likely to mention Hawk Creek an awful lot on this blog - I truly feel as if they are doing something worthwhile. There are tons of different kinds of animals that you can help to feed, or provide for, and they need all the help they can get. There's no better way to show that you care about the wildlife in your area than to look around for your nearest rehabilitation facility and donate your time or some money to their efforts.

It's incredible. I urge you to go to your nearest wildlife rehabilitation facility and donate, volunteer, give some of your time or money to support nature and wildlife before there's nothing left to support.